I haven't touched the XCOM series up to this point (though I aware they are on steam, so maybe I may take the plunge), but I am really intrigued by Enemy Unknown. Am beginning to think this is a definite purchase for me, seeing as I am an RTS lover.

Bingo! that is the real question. I could not care less about pre order DLC pack and bonuses. I simply just want the game, whats a guile haircut going to do for me anyway? I think i will be able to play the game just fine without it, or any of the other bonuses.

I haven't touched the XCOM series up to this point (though I aware they are on steam, so maybe I may take the plunge), but I am really intrigued by Enemy Unknown. Am beginning to think this is a definite purchase for me, seeing as I am an RTS lover.

Just as long as you know the bulk of the game is turn-based, not real time =P

I haven't touched the XCOM series up to this point (though I aware they are on steam, so maybe I may take the plunge), but I am really intrigued by Enemy Unknown. Am beginning to think this is a definite purchase for me, seeing as I am an RTS lover.

I have one bit of advice for you.
Make the tiny investment for at least the original XCOM. It should give you a little basis for what you could potentially "lose" in buying the full new one.

The entire series has been my favourite strategy games to play until Crusader Kings 2 came out.
Infinite replay ability. Multiple difficulty settings.

OMG!!! The evil, greedy corporate pigs are destroying the very fabric of gaming by including some cosmetic customizations as a pre-order bonus!

Of course the game will probably suck what with it being made by people who seem to be genuine Hammer Legion Members of the original, who also have a proven track record of making quality strategy games.

The people whining about pre-order DLC do know their is only 1 for this game right? It's not like Assassin's Creed 3 or something where every store has a separate pack. This is 1 pack that is available at most places where you can pre-order this game.

Of course the game will probably suck what with it being made by people who seem to be genuine Hammer Legion Members of the original, who also have a proven track record of making quality strategy games.

I don't think a Hammer Legion Member would dream of taking out core mechanics like Action Points and ammunition. It seems they're dumbing-down a game in an attempt to sell it to a wider audience, and the intricacy is at least partly what made previous XCOM games fun...and popular.

If anyone can pull it off 2K can, but it could be doomed from the start if the people upstairs are forcing them to make a console game.

I don't think a Hammer Legion Member would dream of taking out core mechanics like Action Points and ammunition. It seems they're dumbing-down a game in an attempt to sell it to a wider audience, and the intricacy is at least partly what made previous XCOM games fun...and popular.

If anyone can pull it off 2K can, but it could be doomed from the start if the people upstairs are forcing them to make a console game.

2K? You mean Firaxis.
2K fronts the cash to make the game and *are* the guys upstairs....
It's Firaxis that are doing all the coding and work.

I don't know when it came out or if it's old news but theres an hour long live stream of them playing it. Video starts 5 min in. Lol ^^^^^^^^^ up there is the video.

This game has sure gone through a lot of different iterations. I watched 30 min of the video and I am pleased with the direction they have taken that game. I didn't play ufo defense much, I only heard about it a couple years ago and I can't really get into it, but I like other games like that. I think this will be a purchase from me, after reading a few reviews.

I don't get any feeling from it like I do when I watch someone play the old game. Maybe its just nostalgia, but I'm not really impressed, something is missing. Maybe, I'll like it better if I see/start from the beginning.

Well, it's not as bad as I had imagined, but sadly it also seems to be a much shallower experience than a traditional XCOM game. Fast-paced action. Wicked killcams. But Depth or intricacy?

Going in I knew they had gutted action points, amoo manufacturing/variants, and the stances (prone/kneel/stand) but the tiny maps were a bit of a letdown too. In previous titles you could spend 10-15 minutes looking for the threat, and there could be a sense of tension as your squad searched the area while using cover/teamwork, because you never knew where a hostile would pop out. From the two maps in the video, it seems like combat starts almost immediately, and the hostiles are always on the opposite side of the map you are.

That said, you could still see the XCOM influence, even if the game felt more like a turn-based UFO: Aftermath. It's still better than I thought though, so I won't be avoiding it entirely.

In previous titles you could spend 10-15 minutes looking for the threat, and there could be a sense of tension as your squad searched the area while using cover/teamwork, because you never knew where a hostile would pop out.

The problem with that though, was that eventually it was just annoying to search those maps, when some alien decided to hide out in the corner. I agree it had a sense of apprehension, but when you later would chain some missions together... at least i wanted smaller maps at this point and not needing to spend 15 minutes searching a map and 5 minutes firefight.

Other titles which based it on Xcom implemented an autofight feature and here they went for smaller maps. I am okay with that. The Tradeoff of the lack of apprehension is not being annoyed by having to go through those motions as soon as your soldiers were well equipted enough to handle almost every alien threat with relative ease.